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| The Castle Church's historic door has been replaced with a bronze one with Martin Luther's 95 theses engraved on it. / Korea Times photos by Jung Min-ho |
Germany invites everyone to celebrate 500th anniversary of The Reformation
By Jung Min-ho
WITTENBERG, Germany ― Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther promulgated his 95 theses and criticized the Roman Catholic Church for its theological errors and institutional sins.
He nailed his proposals to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg and stood up against religious leaders who claimed money could reduce God's punishment for sins.
His intention was never to break from the church. Yet his messages from the sleepy little town eventually triggered a movement that forever changed Christianity.
If you travel to the town this year, you are likely to encounter various exhibits, festivals and other activities to celebrate the start of The Protestant Reformation, which is usually dated Oct. 31, 1517.
Christian or not, it is an interesting time to be in Wittenberg ― for education, celebration or both.
Wittenberg feels like a one-street town filled with Christians from all around the world. The faith they share makes it natural to smile at one another and talk to one another, which you would rarely see in most other parts of Germany.
There is a long, straight main path that can take you to most of the key spots as you explore the town from one end to the other. Almost everywhere you turn, there is something associated with Luther.
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| Inside the Luther House |
If you walk from the train station, the first landmark you will see is Luther House, where he lived with his wife and six children. Inside the adjoining building, now a museum, there are many interesting relics, including his prayer book, letters of indulgence sold by the Catholic Church and a wooden box to collect that money.
There, visitors can learn how the movement unfolded and how he squared up to religious authorities. The Bible and the ability to uncover the correct interpretation of it ― the very foundation of their power ― was the weapon he used.
From the Bible, Luther knew his 95 theses weren't wrong and took courage to set fire to the papal bull from Pope Leo X, who ordered him to recant them or face excommunication.
From his writings at the museum, you may feel how certain ― and yet scared ― Luther was to take a leap of faith during the conflict.
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| The sleepy little town where the revolution began |
And there is the Castle Church, also known as All Saint's Church, where Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door to challenge the Catholic Church. He was also buried there with Philipp Melanchthon, his friend and intellectual partner.
Visitors are free to look inside the beautiful church and visit a permanent exhibition, where they can find more details of Reformation history and reformers' activities.
And the famous 95 theses hang there on the wall.
Luther believed humans, including popes, cannot assure themselves of salvation through indulgences or good deeds, but only through God's grace and faith in Jesus Christ.
You may find it surprising that some of his messages seem aimed at churches today as much as the one in the past.
He noted, "Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers … Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, ‘Peace, peace,' and there is no peace!"
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